There are three types of tech-fixes according to Tim LeCain. There are transformational, relocational, and delaying technological fixes. LeCain argues that the commonality between the three is that all techno fixes seem to create new unforseen tech fixes. LeCain also argues that because many scientist and engineers for years have only thought inside of their own realm of expertise when looking to solve technological issues, they are doomed to produce waste and problems even in their fixes.
Mining will always produce waste. It is a major question to think about the necessity of minerals, because the worth placed on these materials is only justified by their role in our culture. If our species seeks to persist with the use of electricity and other technology then conductive metals are going to be a necessity. If we didn’t have any use for copper, we wouldn’t spend so much time mining and smelting it. I think LeCain is right, and as long as we continue to use technology to fix technological problems, we will be caught in a world of perpetuity. I think that as the discourse of renewability continues to develop, so too will the renewability of our harvesting processes, but I do not think our technology will be without waste